Revolving sleeve rotary vane pump



July 1, 195 F. w. NUERWELL 2,841,090

REVOLVING SLEEVE ROTARY VANE PUMP Filed March 14. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 21 U LIU )3 N 47 /7 19 FIG .1 1?

INVENTOR. FREDERICK 11/. Nut/e WELL.

+44 M Affazn/EY July 1, 1 v F. w. NUERWELL 2,841,090

REVOLVING SLEEVE ROTARY VANE PUMP Filed March 14, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I I INVENTOR. Fkmsmcx M A/UERWELL /W KM ATTORNEY REVGLVING SLEEVE ROTARY VANE PUMP Frederick W. Nuerwell, Parker, Ariz.

Application March 14, 1955, Serial No. 494,073

3 Claims. (Cl. 103-140) This invention relates to pumps, and more particularly to a pump of the rotary vane type.

A main object of the invention is to'provide a novel and improved rotary vane pump for use in oil well drilling, core drilling, or in any other actvity where high pressure is required and where the fluid to be pumped contains mud, grit, or similar material injurious to the components of ordinary pumps, the improved pump being simple in construction, being smooth in action, and requiring a minimum amount of maintenance.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved rotary vane pump which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is rugged in construction, and which is so constructed that the entire interior portion of the pump, except its end plates, revolves as one unit together with the fluid therein, thus eliminating abrasive action between the moving parts of the pump and grit or similar material carried by the fluid.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view, partly in horizontal crosssection, of-an improved rotary vane pump constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the pump of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the pump of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view taken through the pump on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a cross'sectional detail view taken on line 7--7 of Figure 6.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved rotary vane pump constructed in accordance with the present invention. The pump 11 comprises a main housing 12 having a cylindrical internal wall 13. Housing 12 is integrally formed adjacent its opposite ends with the transverse vertical depending supporting flanges 14, 14 formed with aper'tured, inwardly directed horizontal flanges 15, whereby the housing may be secured to a suitable subjacent supporting surface by means of suitable fasteners engaged through the apertures 16 of the flanges 15.

Disposed in the main housing 12 is a cylindrical sleeve member 17, said sleeve member being substantially coextensive in length with the cylindrical internal wall 13 and rotatively engaging said internal wall. Housing 12 is provided at its top portion with a pressure lubricant fitting 18, whereby lubricant may be introduced between sleeve member 17 and the internal wall of the housing to facilitate free rotation of the sleeve member with respect to said internal wall.

Designated at 19, 19 are respective end walls sealingly secured to the ends of housing 12, said housing ends be atent lar sealing rings 28.

ing formed with annular sealing ribs 20 which are received in annular recesses 21 provided in end walls 19, suitable deformable annular sealing rings 22 being provided in the recesses 21. The end walls 19 are secured to the ends of housing 12 by spaced bolts 23 engaged through the marginal portions of the end walls and threadedly engaged in the ends of the housing.

Designated at 24 is a longitudinal shaft extending through the interior of sleeve member 17 and journalled in the end walls 19, 19, as by suitable roller bearing assemblies 25. Suitable rotary seals 26 are provided at the opposite end portions of the shaft 24, and the interior surfaces of the end walls are formed with annular recesses 27 around the shaft to receive deformable annu- Shaft 24 is formed with an enlarged intermediate portion 29 whose ends sealingly and rotatively engage said sealing rings 28.

The axis of shaft 24 is spaced above the axis of sleeve member 17 so that the space between the top of enlarged shaft portion 29 and the inside surface of sleeve member 17 is relatively constricted as compared with the space between the bottom of said enlarged shaft portion and the inside surface of the sleeve member. Pivoted to said enlarged shaft portion on spaced parallel longitudinal axes are the longitudinal vanes 30, said vanes being arcuate in transverse cross-section to conform substantially 'with the curvature of the enlarged shaft portion 29 and being provided at their inner longitudinal margins with the substantially cylindrical pivot elements 31 rotatably received incorresponding longitudinal cylindrical pivot grooves 32 formed in the periphery of enlarged shaft portion 29.

The overall thickness of the vanes is substantially equal to the width of the constricted space between the top of enlarged shaft portion 29 and the inside surface of sleeve member 17, and the vanes are of equal arcuate length and are spaced so that they may be received sequentially in said constricted space as shaft 24 rotates relative to sleeve member 17, or rotates relative to the cylindrical internal wall 13 of main housing 12, as shown in Figure 5.

The inside surfaces of the vanes 30 are formed with the parallel, transversely extending ribs 33, defining clearance spaces 34 to provide clearance for mud or grit which may be caught between the vanes and shaft portion 29, and to permit the vanes to engage against said shaft portion as the vanes pass through the constricted space between the top of said shaft portion and the interior surface of sleeve member 17.

End walls 19 are formed above and below shaft 24 with the respective diametrically opposed longitudinal recesses or passages 35 and 36 containing respective masses of deformable packing material 37 and 38 sealingly engaging the end edges of the vanes 30 as said vanes rotate through the spaces above and below the enlarged shaft portion 29. As shown in Figure 6, the lower passage 36 is contoured so that the end edges of a lower vane 30 are always in sealing contact with the packing material 38, rotation of the vanes being clockwise, as viewed in Figure 6. Similarly, the upper passage 35, while of much smaller arcuate length than lower passage 36, is shaped so that the upper packing material 37 seals the end edges of the upper vanes 30.

Secured to the upper and lower portions of the end walls 19 over the ends of the passages 35 and 36 are respective cup members 39 and 40 in which are slidably mounted respective concave plunger members 41 and 42 respective receiving and engaging the ends of the masses of packing material 37 and 38, whereby said plungers may be employed to exert inward force over substantially the entire areas of said masses of packing material. Pressure screws 43 and 44 are threaded through the end walls of the cup members 39 and 40 and centrally engage the plunger members 41 and 42, whereby the pressure on the packing members 37 and 38 may be adjusted to compensate for wear at any time, including while the pump is operating. Suitable lock nuts 45 are provided on the pressure screws 43 and 44 to lock said screws in adjusted positions.

From Figure 6 it will be seen that respective passages 46 and 47 are defined in each end wall 19 on opposite sides of shaft 24, the passage 46 communicating with the interior of sleeve member 17 on one side of the shaft and the passage 47 communicating with the interior of sleeve member 17 on the other side of said shaft. The end Walls 19 are formed with respective inlet conduits 48 communicating with the passages 47 and with respective outlet conduits 49 communicating with the passages 46. Defined between the upper packing passage 35 and passages 46, and 47 are the radial walls 50 and 51, and defined between the lower packing passage 36 and the passages 46 and 47 are the generally arcuate walls 52 and 53. The ends of the walls 50, 51, 52 and 53 are bevelled at the passages 45 and 47, as shown at 54-, 55, 56 and 57, whereby the inner ends of the passages 46 and 47 are flared, and whereby the ends of the walls 50, 51, 52 and 53 are relatively thin so that grit or similar material cannot become caught between the ends of the walls and the end edges of the vanesrotating past the walls.

In operation, as the shaft 24 and portion 29 rotate clockwise, as viewed in Figure 5, the vanes 34) are urged,

outwardly by centrifugal action to maintain their curved outer edges, shown at 58, in contact with the interior surface of sleeve member 17, developing suction in the fluid inlet passages 47 and developing fluid compression in the fluid outlet passages 46. The entire interior of the pump, except the end plates 19, 19, rotates as a unit inside the pump housing 12, together with the fluid. The sleeve member 17 is free to rotate inside the pump housing 12 with a floating action, and since it is well lubricated, it

revolves with the vanes 30 and rotor shaft 24. When the vanes are in their collapsed positions at the upper portion of the pump, said vanes, together with the sleeve member 17, define a pair of rollers rotating one inside the other and cooperate to crush any grit or similar material coming therebetween without causing any damage to the pump, at the same time providing tractive torque for the revolving sleeve member, said tractive torque be ing further aided by'the vane near the bottom of the pump as it passes through the pressure chamber defined between the intake and discharge passages, wherein the fluid pressure of the pump holds the outer edges 58 of the vanes firmly against the inside surface of sleeve mernber 17.

The sleeve member 17 and vanes 30 are preferably made of relatively hard tough steel to resist abrasion.

It will be understood that the two intake conduits 48 are connected together and the two discharge conduits 49 are connected together externally of the pump. It will be further understood that, if so desired, only one intake conduit and one discharge conduit may be employed.

It will also be understood that while the axis of the rotor shaft 24 has been illustrated herein as being spaced above the axis of the sleeve member 17, the pump may be designed with the shaft axis spaced below or spaced laterally from the axis of the sleeve member Within the spirit of the present invention.

While a specific embodiment of a rotary vane pump has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understod that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rotary vane pump of the character described, a main housing having a cylindrical internal wall, a cylindrical sleeve member disposed in said main housing, said sleeve member being substantially coextensive in length with said cylindrical internal wall and rotatively engaging said cylindrical internal wall, respective end walls secured to the ends of said housing, a longitudinal shaft extending rotatably through said end walls on an axis spaced from the axis of the cylindrical internal wall of said housing, a plurality of longitudinal vanes pivoted to said shaft in said housing on parallel longitudinal axes and being substantially coextensive in length with said sleeve member, respective deformable sealing elements mounted in said end walls and being arranged to sealingly engage the end edges of said vanes at opposite locations with respect to said shaft, respective plungers slidably mounted in said end walls and engaging said sealing elements substantially over their entire areas, means to excrt adjustable inward force on said plungers, fluid inlet means in at least one of said end walls and communicating with the interior portion of the sleeve member at one side of the shaft between said sealing elements, and fluid outlet means in at least one of said end walls communir eating with the interior portion of the sleeve member between the sealing elements on the side of said shaft opposite said fluid inlet means.

2. In a rotary vane pump of the character described, a main housing having a cylindrical internal wall, a cylindrical sleeve member disposed in said main housing, said sleeve member being substantially coextensive in length with said cylindrical internal Wall and rotatively engaging said cylindrical internal wall, respective end walls secured to the ends of said housing, a longitudinal shaft extending rotatably through said end walls on an axis spaced vertically from the axis of the cylindrical internal wall of said housing, a plurality of longitudinal vanes of arcuate transverse shape pivoted at their longitudinal edge portions to the peripheral portion of said shaft in said housing on parallel longitudinal axes spaced around said shaft and being substantially coextensive in length with said sleeve member, respective deformable sealing elements mounted in the upper and lower portions of said end walls and being arranged to sealingly engage the end edges of said vanes at substantially diametrically opposite locations above and below said shaft, respective plungers slidably mounted in said end walls and engaging said sealing elements substantially over their entire areas, means to exert adjustable inward force on said plungers, fluid inlet means in at least one of said end walls and communicating with the interior portion of the sleeve member at one side of said shaft between said sealing elements, and fluid outlet means in at least one of said end walls communicating with the interior portion of the sleeve member between the sealing elements on the side of .said shaft opposite the fluid inlet means.

3. In a rotary vane pump of the character described, a main housing having a cylindrical internal wall, a cylindrical sleeve member disposed in said main housing, said sleeve member being substantially coextensive in length with said cylindrical internal wall and rotatively enga ing said cylindrical internal wall, respective end walls secured to the ends of said housing, a longitudinal shaft extending rotatably through said end walls on an axis spaced from the axis of the cylindrical internal wall of said housing, a plurality of longitudinal vanes of arcuate transverse shape pivoted at their longitudinal edge portions to the peripheral portion of said shaft in said housing on parallel longitudinal axes spaced around said shaft and being substantially coextensive in length with said sleeve member, respective deformable sealing elements mounted in said end walls and being arranged to sealingly engage the end edges of said vanes at opposite locations with respect to said shaft, respective plungers slidably mounted in said end walls and engaging said seal- 5 6 ing elements substantially over their entire areas, means References Cited in the file of this patent to exert adjustable inward force on said plungers, at least UNITED STATES PATENTS one of said end Walls being armed with a fluid inlet pas- 160 974 Upham Mar 16 1875 sage and at least one of said end Walls being formed With 383996 safari Iun'e 1888 a fluid outlet passage, said passages communicating with 5 1 1531873 Shore 1915 the interior of said sleeve member on respective opposite 313,430 Ricardo Aug 11 31 sides of said shaft between the deformable sealing elements, the inner ends of the passages being flared ad- FOREIGN PATENTS jacent the sealing elements to define relatively thin, 10 97,498 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1923 tapered Wall edges between the sealing elements and said 156,533 7 Switzerland Oct. 17, 1932 passages. 586,312 France Jan. 3, 1925 

